written

[ rit-n ]

/ ˈrɪt n /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR written ON THESAURUS.COM

verb

a past participle of write.

adjective

expressed in writing (distinguished from spoken).

Nearby words

writing hand, writing on the wall, writing paper, writing table, writings, written, written law, wrns, wrnt, wrnt., wrocław

Related formshalf-writ·ten, adjectivepre·writ·ten, adjectiveself-writ·ten, adjectivewell-writ·ten, adjective

Can be confusedaural oral verbal written (see usage note at verbal)

Definition for written (2 of 2)

write

[ rahyt ]

/ raɪt /

verb (used with object), wrote or (Archaic) writ; writ·ten or (Archaic) writ; writ·ing.

to trace or form (characters, letters, words, etc.) on the surface of some material, as with a pen, pencil, or other instrument or means; inscribe: Write your name on the board.

to express or communicate in writing; give a written account of.

to fill in the blank spaces of (a printed form) with writing: to write a check.

to execute or produce by setting down words, figures, etc.: to write two copies of a letter.

to compose and produce in words or characters duly set down: to write a letter to a friend.

to produce as author or composer: to write a sonnet; to write a symphony.

to trace significant characters on, or mark or cover with writing.

to cause to be apparent or unmistakable: Honesty is written on his face.

Computers. to transfer (information, data, programs, etc.) from storage to secondary storage or an output medium.

Stock Exchange. to sell (options).

to underwrite.

verb (used without object), wrote or (Archaic) writ; writ·ten or (Archaic) writ; writ·ing.

to trace or form characters, words, etc., with a pen, pencil, or other instrument or means, or as a pen or the like does: He writes with a pen.

to write as a profession or occupation: She writes for the Daily Inquirer.

to express ideas in writing.

to write a letter or letters, or communicate by letter: Write if you get work.

to compose or work as a writer or author.

Computers. to write into a secondary storage device or output medium.

Verb Phrases

write down,

to set down in writing; record; note.
to direct one's writing to a less intelligent reader or audience: He writes down to the public.

write in,

to vote for (a candidate not listed on the ballot) by writing his or her name on the ballot.
to include in or add to a text by writing: Do not write in corrections on the galley.
to request something by mail: If interested, please write in for details.

write off,

to cancel an entry in an account, as an unpaid and uncollectable debt.
to regard as worthless, lost, obsolete, etc.; decide to forget: to write off their bad experience.
to amortize: The new equipment was written off in three years.

write out,

to put into writing.
to write in full form; state completely.
to exhaust the capacity or resources of by excessive writing: He's just another author who has written himself out.

write up,

to put into writing, especially in full detail: Write up a report.
to present to public notice in a written description or account.
Accounting. to make an excessive valuation of (an asset).

Origin of write

before 900; Middle English writen, Old English wrītan; cognate with Old Saxon wrītan to cut, write, German reissen to tear, draw, Old Norse rīta to score, write

SYNONYMS FOR write

6 compose, pen, author, draft, create.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR write ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsmis·write, verb (used with object), mis·wrote, mis·writ·ten, mis·writ·ing.

Can be confusedright rite wright write

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for written

Michael Kazin is a historian who has written a lot about the New Left.
Thank Congress, Not LBJ for Great Society|Julian Zelizer, Scott Porch|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The Samaritan guidelines are written around the assumption that suicide is a purely irrational act, an act spurred by illness.
Cover-Ups and Concern Trolls: Actually, It's About Ethics in Suicide Journalism|Arthur Chu|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Among the characters to be portrayed were the people I had written about—the unsung heroes of the Selma campaign.
Dr. King Goes to Hollywood: The Flawed History of ‘Selma’|Gary May|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It was different, he said, from any other song he had ever written.
How Martin Luther King Jr. Influenced Sam Cooke’s ‘A Change Is Gonna Come’|Peter Guralnick|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST

This article is adapted from one written for Niqash by Khales Joumah and published December 24.
Has the Kurdish Victory at Sinjar Turned the Tide of ISIS War?|Niqash|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This part of this letter was written, as Johnson goes on to say, a considerable time before the conclusion.
Life Of Johnson, Volume 4 (of 6)|Boswell
About the time at which I suppose this letter to have been written there is, in fact, a payment of 40 to J.L.
Great Ghost Stories|Various
I will give you what I have written, and if you choose to read it and do not like it, you can throw it into the fire.
The House of Martha|Frank R. Stockton
But the letter was, as you may imagine, written so that the writer should come to no harm were it intercepted.
Barry Lyndon|William Makepeace Thackeray
He had written to Maggie, and been surprised and hurt to receive no reply.
Bob, Son of Battle|Alfred Ollivant

British Dictionary definitions for written (1 of 2)

written

/ (ˈrɪtən) /

verb

the past participle of write

adjective

taken down in writing; transcribedwritten evidence; the written word Compare spoken (def. 2)

British Dictionary definitions for written (2 of 2)

write

/ (raɪt) /

verb writes, writing, wrote or written

to draw or mark (symbols, words, etc) on a surface, usually paper, with a pen, pencil, or other instrument

to describe or record (ideas, experiences, etc) in writing

to compose (a letter) to or correspond regularly with (a person, organization, etc)

(tr; may take a clause as object) to say or communicate by letterhe wrote that he was on his way

(tr) informal, mainly US and Canadian to send a letter to (a person, etc)

to write (words) in cursive as opposed to printed style

(tr) to be sufficiently familiar with (a specified style, language, etc) to use it in writing

to be the author or composer of (books, music, etc)

(tr) to fill in the details for (a document, form, etc)

(tr) to draw up or draft

(tr) to produce by writinghe wrote ten pages

(tr) to show clearlyenvy was written all over his face

(tr) to spell, inscribe, or entitle

(tr) to ordain or prophesyit is written

(tr) to sit (an examination)

(intr) to produce writing as specified

computing to record (data) in a location in a storage deviceCompare read 1 (def. 16)

(tr) Compare underwrite (def. 3a)

Derived Formswritable, adjective

Word Origin for write

Old English wrītan (originally: to scratch runes into bark); related to Old Frisian wrīta, Old Norse rīta, Old High German rīzan (German reissen to tear)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with written

write

In addition to the idioms beginning with write

write down
write in
write off
write one's own ticket
write out
write up

also see:

nothing to write home about

Also see underwrote.

written

verb

adjective

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Definition for written (2 of 2)

write

verb (used with object), wrote or (Archaic) writ; writ·ten or (Archaic) writ; writ·ing.

verb (used without object), wrote or (Archaic) writ; writ·ten or (Archaic) writ; writ·ing.

Verb Phrases

Origin of write

Examples from the Web for written

British Dictionary definitions for written (1 of 2)

written

verb

adjective

British Dictionary definitions for written (2 of 2)

write

verb writes, writing, wrote or written

Word Origin for write

Idioms and Phrases with written

write